The role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now widely accepted. Immune cells, including T cells, are influenced by inflammatory signals and contribute to the onset and progression of CVD. T cell activation is modulated by T cell co-stimulation and co-inhibition pathways. Read More

Authors:

Departments of Bioengineering and Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.

The intact heart undergoes complex and multiscale remodelling processes in response to altered mechanical cues. Remodelling of the myocardium is regulated by a combination of myocyte and non-myocyte responses to mechanosensitive pathways, which can alter gene expression and therefore function in these cells. Cellular mechanotransduction and its downstream effects on gene expression are initially compensatory mechanisms during adaptations to the altered mechanical environment, but under prolonged and abnormal loading conditions, they can become maladaptive, leading to impaired function and cardiac pathologies. Read More

Authors:

Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

Epidemiological and clinical studies over the past decade have firmly established that elevated plasma concentrations of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) are an important, independent and probably causal risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Whereas a link between Lp(a) levels and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) has been appreciated for decades, the role of Lp(a) in calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) and aortic stenosis has come into focus only in the past 5 years. ASCVD and CAVD are aetiologically distinct but have several risk factors in common and similar pathological processes at the cellular and molecular levels. Read More

Authors:

Paravalvular leak (PVL) is a complication that occurs in 5-17% of patients after surgical prosthetic valve implantation. Whereas PVLs can be benign, some PVLs are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Percutaneous closure using occluders specifically designed to improve closure and reduce procedural complications has now become the first-line treatment for PVL. Read More

Authors:

Fully bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) were designed to overcome the limitations of metallic drug-eluting stents, which permanently cage the vessel wall, thereby preventing normal coronary vasomotion, preclude bypass grafting and can provoke long-term foreign-body responses. Although multiple scaffolds have been or are in development, the Absorb Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS; Abbott Vascular) was the first FDA-approved device and was widely expected to fulfil the dream of interventional cardiologists of a transient scaffold that would disappear 'when the job was done' and would not hamper further treatment options. Although early, small studies and even large, randomized trials showed beneficial outcomes up to 1 year of follow-up, longer-term results have been disappointing, with increased rates of device thrombosis and target-lesion revascularization. Read More

Cardiovascular calcification is a health disorder with increasing prevalence and high morbidity and mortality. The only available therapeutic options for calcific vascular and valvular heart disease are invasive transcatheter procedures or surgeries that do not fully address the wide spectrum of these conditions; therefore, an urgent need exists for medical options. Cardiovascular calcification is an active process, which provides a potential opportunity for effective therapeutic targeting. Read More

Stent thrombosis (ST) is a rare but severe complication of coronary procedures with high mortality, high relapse rate and a very complex pathophysiology. An individual's susceptibility to ST is multifactorial and results from interactions between clinical factors, endothelial biology, hypersensitivity and/or inflammatory reactions, blood rheology, platelet reactivity, clotting factors, physical and mechanical properties of the stent and from the effects of these different factors on the fluid dynamics of blood flow. Since the introduction of stents 32 years ago, continuous improvements in our understanding of the pathophysiology of ST have triggered important advances, including new therapies, new technologies and an increased awareness of the implications of implantation techniques. Read More

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in China. To develop effective and timely strategies to cope with the challenges of CVD epidemics, we need to understand the current epidemiological features of the major types of CVD and the implications of these features for the prevention and treatment of CVD. In this Review, we summarize eight important features of the epidemiology of CVD in China. Read More

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